Buddhism and gender, from the Lehigh University newspaper.
Plus, an account of Tibetan Buddhism from the Chinese media and the story of a Tibetan refugee in Salt Lake City.
Hu Jintao and Kevin Rudd of Australia are having an interesting back and forth over the Tibet issue:
President Hu Jintao made a terrific speech at the opening of the Boao Forum on Hainan island that Rudd attended.
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One of the torch bearers pulls out of the Canberra, Australia section of the torch's run:
The Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) president and the ACT Australian of the Year, Lin Hatfield-Dodds, says she is taking a stand for human rights.
The Olympic torch has become a beacon for pro-Tibet supporters as it makes its way around the world in the lead up to the Beijing Games.
Ms Hatfield-Dodds says the recent scenes in Tibet are disturbing.
"For many other people globally the torch has come to stand for a symbol around human rights and around rights for citizens," she said.
"I felt I really needed to be very clear in my stance, which is very pro-human rights obviously, so I've chosen not to run."
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The E.U. and China prepare to politely disagree about Tibet.
Anti-Tibet (and anti-France) protests intensify. France tries to cool China off. Plus more hate for Grace Wang.
China launches a "patriotic education" drive in Tibet. Polish up those jackboots and truncheons and string up the festive barbed wire.
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Not sure why it's gold-plated, exactly. And it's available only in China.
The best religious cell phone in the world is made for Buddhists. This highly modified and rare Nokia N70 is currently available only in China. Like other religious cell phones, the Buddhist phone has Buddhist ring tones, software and other trappings. What sets this phone apart from the pack is the sheer beauty and detail of the customization.
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The Dalai Lama visits Minnesota and discusses meditation and compassion. The meditation talk will include Daniel Goleman and will be for Mayo Clinic employees only. He also gave a thank-you scarf to his physician, Dr.
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Thanks to Marcus for pointing this one out: A Japanese Buddhist temple has removed itself from the torch's route.
Japan and China continue to disagree over whether Tibet is an international issue or just a domestic issue of China's.
Edward Gomez notes the rhetoric is running high: China stoked the nationalist fires and is now trying to temper its citizens call for boycotts of products from countries where the torch relay has run into trouble.
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Hunger is on the rise across the globe as food prices rise out of reach of the poorest families. With the sinking economy, with climate change, with war -- the poor are always the most vulnerable.
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The relay begins amid heavy security in New Delhi. Meanwhile, China cancels its plan to open Tibet on May 1st and seals the borders. And if you wonder why Nepal is cracking down on protesters so hard:
Chinese security police in athletic wear can be seen lounging in tea shops and strolling the sole street in the border town of Liping. They shadow three Associated Press journalists from the moment they arrive, ordering them not to take photographs — on Nepalese territory.
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Japan urges China to work out the Tibet situation peacefully. China tells Japan that Tibet is a domestic issue. In other words, buzz off.
More than 500 Tibetan protesters arrested in restless Nepal.
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A museum in Beijing that tells the Chinese side of the story and buries any notion of an independent Tibet. This is the viewpoint Chinese citizens are being bombarded with every minute.
For example, when the international news came to the protests, the screens went black in China. Beijing is being scrubbed clean -- and this includes the news. And Chinese internet users are taking to the web to fight back against what they see as international bias against their country -- seeing red, if you will.
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The world food crisis:
Scientists and economists worry that the reallocation of scarce water resources — away from rice and other grains and toward more lucrative crops and livestock — threatens poor countries that import rice as a dietary staple.
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